Breath of Fire 3: Beyond the Northern Checkpoint
by Etero Narciss
Summary: On hiatus, I'm afraid... Will continue later though!
1. Prologue

**BREATH OF FIRE III**

**FANFIC**

Because I wanted to.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own anything related to BOF 3 or any other article even remotely related to it. It's just a fiction, people.

**Prologue**

A lone man walked down the ruins of Caer Xhan. Once a thriving city, it had been destroyed by its people's own power. Now it was nothing more than a dead city, not a single living being to be seen in it's hollowed streets, save for the soldier bots that worked in the local shops, and the lone individual that walked down it's streets, making little sound with his leather boots.

The lone man wore a large cloak to protect him from the scorching sun, for Caer Xhan was located in the middle of an unforgiving desert, surrounded by a sea of scorching hot sand and cruel monsters that survived off other hapless travelers.

The man continued walking in purposeful silence, until finally reaching the other end of the city, where the street met the sand. He looked up and was surprised to see the large chunks of metal and concrete that seemed to stretch out into the horizon. These looked like the remains of a castle.

"So it's true," he said to himself with mild amusement. "Myria really did die."

He walked into the desert and traversed among the rubble, pushing over the occasional large piece of concrete to look under it. It was like he was searching for something.

After at least an hour of fruitless searching, the man growled in desperation. He finally kicked a piece of stone he had found in anger and yelled out in pain. He fell on the floor and rubbed his pained foot. He looked at the stone and realized it was way too smooth to be just a chunk of some wall. A closer inspection had him realize it was in fact two stone hands pressed together, as if in prayer.

He tried tugging it to pull it out of the sand, but whatever the statue was, it was very heavy, and the sand didn't make it any easier. He cracked his knuckles, grabbed the hands firmly with his, and with a mighty yell and pull he was able to pull out the statue. He fell sitting on the floor and looked up at the tall statue. A huge, muscular man with a birdlike face and demonic-looking wings was staring into the horizon, his stone eyes concentrated on his fate. He had a large prayer beads around his neck, and he wore a short kind of robe.

"An Urkan?," the man asked himself. "And a Guardian too, from the looks of it."

He stood up and placed his right hand on the Guardian's chest. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel a little bit of life left in this statue, although whatever the soul that was in there was in a deep slumber. The man prodded a little deeper with his mind and was able to enter the Guardian's soul.

He opened his eyes and found himself inside the Guardian. This Guardian seemed racked with some sort of guilt, because as the man walked down the narrow path of his soul, he could hear the Guardian's doubts and regrets.

"This is ridiculous," said the man. He pressed his hands together and muttered an incantation. Suddenly, the voices stopped, and a long row of doors on either side of him suddenly appeared. Now he could search the Guardian's thoughts at his leisure.

He walked down the hallway, wondering which door he should pick. Finally, he chose a door at random and entered.

He suddenly found himself in the middle of a battlefield. Various Guardians charged the dragons that were retreating. Among them was the Guardian whose soul the man was intruding, who killed two dragons with one swing of his mighty spear. He turned around and stabbed a dragon whelp in the chest. The man suddenly heard the Guardian's voice.

"Something's not right," he said. "Why won't they fight back?"

Suddenly, another Guardian of similar appearance appeared.

"Come on, Garr, before they escape!," he shouted, and ran ahead. The Guardian followed.

Deciding that this wasn't of his interest, the man left that memory behind and continued his journey down the hall.

After entering another series of truly pointless memories, the man began to despair. This Guardian, Garr, as they called him, had almost 500 years worth of memories, and he was starting to fear that he might not find what he's looking for. Eventually, he reached the end of the hallway. He was surprised to see two large iron doors. Curious, the man approached the doors and pushed them open.

He found himself inside a dark, cavernous space. At the end of it was Garr, who was glaring at the man with fierce eyes. He had his spear out.

"Who are you?," was the first thing Garr asked him.

"Before I answer, let me say how sorry I am to intrude in your soul," said the man, bowing slightly. "But I'm looking for someone, and I thought you might help."

"You still haven't told me who you are," said Garr.

"My name is Zen," said the man seriously. "And I came to ask for the whereabouts of the Dragon Prince."

He saw Garr's eyes twitch a little, and grinned. He probably knows.

"What do you want with Ryu?," Garr asked dangerously.

"I don't want anything from him," Zen said slyly. "However, there are other powers who'd like to have a chat with him."

Garr could tell that this guy was bad news. The tone of his voice, that strange look in his cold, red eyes didn't inspire confidence. Garr got into his fighting stance, twirling the spear above him between his fingers.

"I see. So it's going to be like that, huh?," Zen asked. He giggled madly. "Good."

He grabbed his cloak and threw it aside, revealing a surprisingly young man, perhaps no older than Ryu, with black medium-length hair slicked back. He wore a red shirt with very long and wide sleeves, and matching red pants that were also wide. He pulled out a wide brimmed hat from his back and put it on. He then stretched out his arms, and two wide, short swords came out of his sleeves. He grabbed these by the hilt and got into his fighting stance.

"Thank you for your patience," said Zen with a manic smile.

"Come on!," said Garr fiercely.

Zen charged forward. Garr thrust his spear forward, which Zen dodged with a sidestep. He swung his swords at Garr's neck, but Garr quickly blocked them with his spear. He twirled his spear to move the swords out of the way and swung his spear across. Zen parried the spear with the left sword and thrust his right sword at Garr's face. Garr moved his head sideways to avoid it, and pushed back Zen.

Zen jumped back and laughed.

"Isn't this fun, Guardian?!," he asked him with a manic smile.

They both got back into their fighting stances.

Garr was sweating. This Zen guy was good, very good. He was starting to doubt whether he could actually defeat this kid.

Zen was about to charge again when he suddenly heard a young woman's voice in his head.

_"We found them. Come to Wyndia immediately."_

Zen sighed deeply. He raised his swords up and let them go, letting them fall into his sleeves. He looked at Garr.

"Sorry, Guardian, but it looks like our time is up," he said. "See ya around!"

Just like that, he left, and Garr was unable to do anything about it.

Outside in the desert, Zen looked up at the statue and smiled.

"It'd be such a waste if we didn't finish our fight," he said. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small piece of paper with various symbols drawn on it. He held it up and muttered an incantation, then slammed the paper against the statue. The paper glued itself on the statue, and it began to glow.

"And people say I don't do good deeds," said Zen. He turned his back to the statue. "Come and get me, Guardian. Our fun fight hasn't ended yet."

He vanished in a puff of smoke.

The statue began to crack.


	2. Together Again

**CHAPTER 1**

**Together Again**

Nina stretched out her arms and looked at the horizon from the top of a hill. It was high noon, and there was a clear blue sky. She could see the trees and roads that went down the horizon. And just on the edge of it, she could see the outline of Wyndia.

Nina wore a short, one-piece red dress and long red boots. Her blonde hair was tied up with a ribbon, and she had large golden cuffs on either wrist. Even though her people, the Wyndians, lacked the ability to fly, that didn't stop Nina from growing wings herself, although they were pretty much useless.

A guard approached Nina from down the hill and kneeled. "Princess Nina! They are headed down this road, just as we suspected!"

Nina looked back at the guard and nodded. "Prepare the men," she said. "Let's get this over with."

"Yes, princess," said the guard, and went back down the hill.

Nina looked back into the horizon and took a deep breath. She let it out slowly.

"All right," she said to herself, and walked down the hill.

A group of five men walked down a narrow road flanked by thick trees. The man in the middle was the boss, a known smuggler and assassin. He was covered in a green cloak that also hid his face.

"Hey, boss, you sure about this road?," asked a ruffian as they walked down a narrow road flanked by thick trees.

"Yeah, don't worry," said the boss. "The Wyndian guards never go anywhere near this road, especially since it's too hard to find."

"Boss!," said another ruffian. "There's someone up ahead!"

"What?!," asked the boss alarmed. "Impossible!"

The ruffian pointed out the figure in front of them. It was a blonde girl with a short red dress. The boss laughed.

"It's just a girl," said the boss. "Nothing to worry about."

The girl suddenly pointed at the boss. "Criminal Uri, you're under arrest on the charges of smuggling and the murder of the Wyndian Prime Minister."

The ruffians all flinched, except the boss, who merely chuckled.

"Interesting," said Uri. "So Wyndia's using little girls now?" He laughed. "That King has no guts at all!"

The girl's eyes twitched.

"Don't you dare insult the King, you dirtbag," she said angrily.

Uri chuckled again. "Come to think of it, I heard that the King's daughter is taking it to herself to dispense justice in the region." He narrowed his gray eyes dangerously at her. "You're her, aren't you? Nina?"

"That's Princess Nina to you!," she spat. "I'm taking you to Wyndia where you'll face judgment!"

Uri laughed. "Oh really?," he sneered. "You and what army?!"

"The Wyndian army," said Nina.

Just then, a dozen Wyndian guards came out of the thick brushes from either side of the road and surrounded the criminals.

"Now, will you come in quietly, or do we have to get violent?," asked Nina.

The ruffians looked incredibly nervous; there was no way they could take on Wyndian soldiers. Uri, on the other hand, was now laughing.

"What's so funny?," Nina asked angrily. The ruffians looked back at Uri in confusion.

"You think this pitiful bunch can kill me?," Uri asked. "Don't insult me."

"What?," Nina asked.

Uri threw his cloak away, revealing a well-built man in his late twenties. He had silver white hair and wore a white shirt, over which he wore leather shoulder pads and a leather cuirass. He also wore leather knee pads and leather shoes, under which he had a pair of jeans. He had two large arm braces.

"Boss, y-you can't be serious!?," said a nervous ruffian. "They're Wyndian troops!"

"Useless cowards," said Uri. He smiled sinisterly. Suddenly, two large blades sprung up from under Uri's arm braces, and slashing so fast that his blades looked like flashes of light, killed his own men.

"W-why did you that?!," Nina asked horrified.

Uri grinned sinisterly. "What's the point of having bodyguards if they won't fight to protect me?," he asked. "They got what was coming to them."

"Y-You monster!," said one of the guards that was standing behind him, and charged, his pike pointing forward straight for Uri's back.

"No, wait!," said Nina in alarm, but it was too late.

Uri, without even bothering to turn around, moved a little to the side and evaded the pike completely. The soldier was unable to stop his momentum. Uri simply raised his right arm and elbowed the guard on the face, breaking his nose. The guard fell on the floor, dead. The other guards, angered at seeing their comrade being hurt like that, charged forward despite Nina's orders. Nina watched in horror as Uri easily overpowered the guards and killed them all with a few quick slashes. He turned to her and smiled.

"What's wrong, princess?," he sneered. "Didn't you say you were taking me to Wyndia to face judgment?"

Nina shook her head and calmed herself down. She summoned her weapon, a long staff with wings and a single orb at the end of it. Uri laughed.

"Perfect," he said.

He charged her. Nina jumped back and shouted "Magic Ball!"

A ball of pure magic energy shot out from her staff and headed directly to Uri. Uri dodged it and continued his charge, eventually catching up with Nina and thrusting his blades forward. Nina then shouted out "Lightning!" A lighting bolt shot down straight towards Uri, who survived simply because he jumped back at the last second.

"Very impressive, princess," said Uri with a smirk. "But there's no way that you can beat me with magic alone. You still lack one very important characteristic to defeat someone like myself."

"What are you talking about?," Nina asked.

"You'll see, Princess," Uri said.

Nina didn't like the look in Uri's cold, gray eyes.

"Cyclone!" Nina shouted. She shot three wind sickles straight at Uri from the palm of her hand. She expected Uri to try and dodge her attack, like with the magic ball, so that she could hit him with an iceblast spell when he was unprepared. Instead, to Nina's dismay, Uri ran right through the sickles, receiving deep wounds in his arms and right leg.

Nina was far too surprised to be able to do anything other than gape at Uri, so she hadn't notice Uri's attack on time. He thrust the blade in his right wrist straight through Nina's left shoulder and pinned her against a nearby tree. Nina groaned in pain as Uri drove the blade deeper into her shoulder.

"Do you know what you lack, Princess?," Uri asked, smiling evilly. "You lack the madness it takes to kill me."

Nina looked into his cold, mad eyes in shock.

"Why do you look so surprised, Princess?," Uri asked her. "Don't get me wrong. I'm sure you must have killed quite a lot in your battles. However…" He twisted the blade on her shoulder, making Nina cry out in pain. "…it's not the same thing killing in self-defense than it is killing an already defeated foe." He chuckled. "You've never killed anyone innocent, have you? You fight hoping to resolve matters without death. It is because of this that you cannot defeat me."

He drew his blade out of her shoulder and let her fall sitting against the tree. She grasped her shoulder, which was bleeding freely. She looked up at his face with a defiant expression. Uri took no notice of it.

"Only madness can hope to defeat madness," said Uri, his malevolent grin still in place. "If you fight to win and not to kill, you'll only end up using half your strength. You must fight with the intention of destroying your opponent. Only then will you truly be strong." He raised his left hand, the blade pointing straight at Nina "It's a shame you won't live to learn from this lesson."

Nina didn't move. She couldn't. Her knees were frozen from the fear that had suddenly gripped her. She could tell in those cold gray eyes that Uri was really going to kill her. She was really going to die.

And then it happened.

One moment Uri was about to thrust his blade straight at Nina's face, the next he found himself flying down the road, having been kicked in the face by an oversized clawed foot. This woke Nina from what must have been a trance. She looked up at her savior and gasped.

In front of her now stood a young man with long, yellow hair that he allowed to grow wildly. He had stripes on his face. He wore a leather vest and long pants. He looked down at Nina and smiled a familiar smile.

"Rei!," said Nina happily.

Rei nodded. "I'm not the only one either," he said with a smile.

"What?," Nina asked. Rei pointed up the road. Nina looked and gasped.

It was Ryu and Momo. Ryu, the young man with blue hair and azure eyes, came running down the road towards her. So did Momo. Her hair was incredibly long and she had made two very long and thick braids. She wore what could be thick layers of clothing, one on top of the other, making her look a lot bigger than she really is. She had small round glasses, since she was kind of near-sighted.

They both stopped right beside Nina.

"Nina, are you okay!?," Ryu asked worriedly when he saw her wound.

"I-I'm fine," Nina said, trying to not make him worry. "It's just a minor wound."

"Yeah right," said Momo, who inspected the wound more closely. "I'll have to administer a Healing Herb quick before it gets infected."

Nina pulled down the shirt from her right shoulder helpfully. The wound looked incredibly nasty, much worse than Nina thought it was.

"What did he do to you?!," Momo asked as she administered the herb.

Nina bit her tongue to not cry out again.

"He twisted a knife in my shoulder," she said, still trying to suppress a cry.

Ryu looked up angrily at Uri, who was now standing up, covered in bruises.

"Well, that should do it," said Momo.

The herb, which she had administered in the form of a paste on the wound, had effect immediately. The wound healed in a matter of moments, but it left an ugly looking scar in its place.

"It's going to be a long time before that scar heals," said Momo apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any Vitamins."

"It's okay," said Nina with a reassuring smile. She covered the wound again with her clothes and stood up. "Thanks."

Momo nodded, returning Nina's smile with one of her own.

They both walked and stopped either side of Rei and Ryu, who were glaring at Uri, who glared back.

Rei sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Doesn't this just beat all?," he said. "Here we are, going out of our way to go to Nina's birthday, and what do we get?" He pointed at Uri. "Some obvious psychopath who tries to kill Nina. Why can't we ever have a normal day?"

"Describe normal," Momo told him.

Uri remained silent, his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face.

"He killed my guards," said Nina. "He would have killed me too, if you hadn't come in time."

"Yeah, I can tell," Rei said seriously, looking into Uri's eyes. "This guy is crazy."

Ryu drew out his sword and fixed Uri a fierce glare.

Uri noticed the blue haired young man and wondered. He could feel something unusual about him.

"Interesting," he said. "Hey, kid!"

"Huh?," Ryu asked.

"You're not like the rest of us, are you?," Uri asked. "You seem, different somehow."

Ryu flinched.

"How did he notice?!," Nina asked alarmed.

Uri outstretched his arms and took out his blades from his arm braces.

"I wonder if you bleed differently too?," He asked with a half-smile.

He charged headlong at the party.

Rei drew out his Ballock knives, which were two large daggers. Momo summoned her bazooka, took aim and fired.

The round hit the ground directly in front of Uri. There was a large explosion, lifting up a cloud of black smoke. Uri came out of the smoke, unscathed.

He eventually reached the party and attacked Rei first, using a series of quick slashes that forced Rei on the defensive. Ryu moved in from behind while Uri was busy fighting Rei and swung his sword on Uri's back. Uri reacted immediately, turning around and blocking Ryu's attack just as he blocked Rei's. The three of them were stuck in a deadlock. Uri smiled at the struggling Ryu.

"Come on, kid," he said. "I expected you to be stronger than this."

Ryu scowled. Both he and Rei jumped away from the deadlock just as Momo fired another round straight at Uri's chest. Uri blocked the blast with his arm braces, then jumped and dropped down on Momo.

Momo reacted, shooting out the massive shield she had hidden in the bazooka and blocking Uri's attack. Uri jumped from the shield and landed on the floor just as Ryu attacked again, swinging his sword down at Uri's head. Uri blocked him with his blades.

"You're certainly the quiet type, aren't you?," Uri asked. "You're the only one who hasn't really said anything to me."

"I don't have to talk to scum like you," Ryu said angrily, pushing the sword at Uri.

"Is that so?," Uri asked. "Well, then that changes things, doesn't it?"

He suddenly moved his hands to the side, making Ryu slip forward. Uri then turned around and was about to stab Ryu on the chest, but was stopped by a timely spell from Nina, who had cast another Magic Ball spell. Uri found it difficult to avoid it, and had to do a rather strange flip to do so.

"This guy is really good," Rei said.

"We've fought worse," Ryu said.

Uri smiled. "Have you now?," he asked. "How interesting."

"Shut up!," spat Ryu at him.

"We're getting nowhere here!," said Momo. "I think it's time to introduce my secret weapon.!"

"What?," asked Nina.

"Oh, you can't mean…," began Rei.

"Exactly!," said Momo, not letting him finish. She searched in her clothes and pulled out a curious looking whistle; it was shaped like a little cog. She blew it, yet it made no sound.

"A dog whistle?," Uri asked.

"Nope," said Momo.

Suddenly, they heard something approach very fast. Down the road, a large dust cloud was lifting and getting closer.

"Oh man," said Rei, shaking his head in disbelief.

Suddenly, the figure of an individual came into view from within the dust cloud. He was covered head to foot in black armor. His bird shaped helmet was strange, since it didn't have any slits from where to see. He's joints sounded like as if they were operated by gears.

The strange individual ran right past Uri and stopped beside Momo.

"You called, Miss Momo?," he asked. His voice was a monotonous, mechanical voice.

"Who is he?," Nina asked.

"Not who, but what," said Momo.

"What?," Nina asked.

"It's a robot!," Momo said proudly. "I built it myself! It's the first robot soldier that wasn't salvaged!"

"Wow!," said Nina, actually impressed.

"Yeah, big whoop," said Rei. "'Cept he's as thick as an orc."

"Well, he tries," said Ryu.

"Yeah right," said Rei. "Remember when he burned our camp because he thought it was edible?"

"Oh, yeah," Ryu said, remembering. "Well, at least we got see the sky."

"It was raining!," said Rei angrily.

"That's beside the point here," said Momo. "The thing is, he's strong." She turned to the robot. "Conqueror 99! Your mission is to defeat that man there!" She pointed at Uri.

The robot turned it's mechanical head at Uri and stared at him for a moment, then turned back to Momo.

"Really?," he asked with no emotion. It was strange how much it sounded like sarcasm when it wasn't.

"Of course really!," said Momo.

"My scanners indicate he is a very strong human, and could puncture my armor," said the robot. "Perhaps you should have Honey do it?"

"No!," Momo said, and stomped her foot down in anger. "Now go!"

The robot moved his chest up and down in a perfect mimic of a sigh. "Very well," he said. He turned to face Uri, and got into a fighting stance.

"What the hell is going on here?," Uri asked. "Who is that?"

"Conqueror 99!," said Momo proudly. "And he's going to beat you up!"

Uri blinked, then laughed raucously.

Rei shook his head in shame.

"You know, I gotta wonder sometimes, do robots feel shame? Because if they do, Conqueror must fell like dying right now."

The robot nodded. He turned back to Uri, once again getting into his fighting stance.

"Finally done talking, eh?," Uri asked, getting into his fighting stance.

Shadow charged Uri and sent a rapid volley of punches at Uri's chest. Uri staggered back after feeling the painful metallic blows.

"What the hell?!," asked the surprised Uri.

Shadow sent a left hook straight at Uri's ribs. The painful sound of breaking bones could be heard clearly. Uri fell on his knees, gasping for breath.

"Wow, that was quick," said Rei.

"See? I told he was strong!," Momo said, filled with pride over her robot.

Nina approached Uri, who looked up at Nina and grinned.

"What do you think, princess?," he asked weakly. "Here I am, all defenseless and weak. You want to finish it?"

Nina remained deathly silent. She gripped her staff tightly.

"Nina?," Ryu asked.

"What's wrong princess?," Uri asked. "Fighting over moral dilemmas, perhaps?" He sniggered. "I killed your guards without an ounce of hesitation, an ounce of regret. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it."

Nina's eyes twitched.

"Come on, princess. Do it!," said Uri. "Kill me! Avenge your soldiers! Stop me from continuing my killing spree!" He laughed at Nina's face. "Do it! Do it! Do--"

Suddenly, Ryu hit him hard on the head with his sword sheath, knocking him out. Nina was startled and looked at Ryu. He smiled at her.

"Eh, he was talking too much anyway," said Rei, scratching the back of his head. "Crazy idiot."

Nina was now looking at her dead soldiers. Ryu noticed this. He put his hand on Nina's shoulder.

"Come on," he said. "Let's at least give them a decent burial."

Nina looked at Ryu and nodded. "Right."

They buried the soldiers in a small clearing away from the woods. Nina gave a silent prayer.

"I'll ask father to give you all a better burial," she said quietly. "I promise."

They all remained in respectful silence for a minute, then Rei decided to break the ice. "Well, not exactly how we intended to meet you, princess," he said with a rather nervous smile.

Nina shook her head. "No, it's all right," she said. She bowed slightly at them. "Thank you guys, I wouldn't have done it without you."

They smiled.

"We should go back to the castle," Ryu suggested. Nina nodded in agreement.

"Right."

"Conqueror, you carry the guy, all right?," she told the robot. The robot silently picked up Uri and followed them down the road.


	3. The Night of the Northern Darkness

**Chapter 2**

The audience room of Castle Wyndia was truly large, with an extended corridor that reached the thrones of the King and Queen. These thrones were flanked by two of the strongest knights in Wyndia, veterans of many campaigns and absolutely loyal to the King. Here, many citizens would come for petitions, generals would come to report, and guests were kindly welcomed. Today, however, there would be no smiles. Inside this royal chamber, a terrible assassin would receive his judgement.

Uri was down on his knees, his hands tied behind his back by metal shackles that had been provided by the Wyndian guards. Sitting before him was the King of Wyndia, glaring down at him. A strong man, the King barely seemed to be in his early fifties. The bearded monarch still had an aura of strength about him, something that has served him in keeping his Kingdom intact.

Normally, his Queen would be sitting to his left, but the stern woman had to be kept out for now. Nina, however, was there, along with the rest of the party, just a little distance behind Yuri. It was clear that neither the King nor Queen truly liked Nina's companions, but after everything that had happened, and the different eyes that Nina had gazed them at when she had returned from the other side of the world, convinced them to at the very least tolerate them.

A scribe, who was present, standing beside the King's throne, unfurled a large scroll and read aloud. "Criminal Yuri, also known as the "Assassin of the Red Moon", charged with multiple accounts of murder, including the assassination of Prime Minister Zerkil, the death of the Prime Minister's wife and children, and the death of the royal guard accompanying Princess Nina!"

The King scowled at the end of the declaration. "You have offended the Wyndian Kingdom, Yuri," the King told him, his voice filled with silent anger. "Your very existence is an offense to us, nay, to all living beings! These charges don't even require a trial!" He narrowed his eyes angrily at Yuri. "Do you understand the severity of your punishment will be?"

Yuri, who had been smiling when the scribe had read his crimes outloud, merely laughed at the King's threat. He looked up at the King with complete disdain in his eyes, and when he spoke, there was an air of icy control around him, as if he wasn't really the prisoner, as if the shackles he wore were mere bracelets.

"A fool King like you can never hope to judge me," he told the Wyndian King. "Do you honestly believe you can intimidate me with such a simple threat?" He chuckled again, a sinister smile forming in his mouth. "Please. I do not fear Death like any other, for it is the one inevitable truth in this world. Did you perhaps expect me to repent, or ask for forgiveness?" He chuckled sinisterly again. "I kill because I enjoy it, because it is the madness that I accepted. I have no remorse over any of their deaths, and neither do I fear the consequences of causing their deaths." The look in his eyes even made the King blink. "So like I said, a fool King like you can never hope to judge me."

Nina remained deathly silent, not even defending her father from the man's words. Unfortunately, the word 'madness' reminded her of that moment when Yuri had her in his grasp, when she was afraid that she would truly die. It had been such an unbearable fear. In that moment, she could have sworn she felt her scar hurt again. Ryu did not miss her wincing, and a small frown formed in his face.

The knight in golden armor, who had been standing on the King's left, had had enough of Yuri's talking. "How dare you speak to the King that way, you filth?!" He said angrily, and was already halfway through drawing his sword when the King stopped him, raising his hand at him. "Y-Your Highness…" Said the rather stunned Knight, but he silently stepped back and sheathed his sword.

The King glared back at Yuri. "Your words are nothing but empty declarations from a man about to die," he told him, his voice still strong and unshaken. "Fortunately, we will not need to hear your pathetic words any longer. You will be publicly executed tomorrow at dawn."

Yuri chuckled, and before anyone could do anything, he had dashed straight for the King, despite the fact that his broken ribs should have slowed him down. Instead, he was almost on the King, his right foot on the armrest of the King's throne, his face mere inches from the King's face. Yuri laughed quietly at the King's shocked expression. "That's a good face," he told the King in a low, sinister voice. "You make sure you look at me that way when I rip out your heart." He chuckled.

Then, suddenly, Yuri was hit point black a black orb of pure magic, sending him flying back onto the marble floor, where he landed on his back heavily, and his head bounced as it hit the floor.

Everyone gazed at the King, who was on his feet, his left hand facing Yuri, a furious expression on his face. "How dare you approach me like that, you scum?" He growled at Yuri. "Take him to the dungeons and make sure he can't even so much as crawl until tomorrow!"

The guards all approached Yuri and dragged him away by his arms. The man was quite heavy, as it took three guards to move him.

Nina ran to her father, alarmed by what had happened. Ignoring Rei's comment about whether the King should have actually thought of that happening before threatening a maniac, she ran up the short steps and stood by his side. "Father, are you alright?!" She asked him, clearly still alarmed.

The King turned to his daughter and smiled warmly at her. "I am fine, Nina," he told her in a comforting tone. However, Nina couldn't help but notice that the King had a rather tired expression.

"Father," she started, but the King interrupted her.

"Your birthday is today, my dear daughter," he told her, still smiling warmly. "So please do not preoccupy yourself over me today. Tonight must be a joyous occasion, and I know you don't want to make your friends worry needlessly, correct?"

Nina let out a small gasp and looked at the others, who indeed watched her with worried expressions. She then turned her head to her father again and nodded. "I'm sorry," she told him sadly.

The King chuckled warmly and placed his left hand on Nina's shoulder. "No, I understand. Now go; you must make sure that your friends be presentable for the festivity tonight. We do not want our guests alarmed by their… less than noble appearance."

Rei frowned. "Less than noble? What's that supposed to mea—Oof!" Momo had nudged him painfully on the ribs with her elbow to keep him quiet; something Rei thanked her for with a scowl.

Nina smiled at her father, and nodded. She felt better. "Yes," she told him.

The King nodded, and then left with his two Knights, headed towards his chambers. The Queen won't like to hear what had just happened, no doubt.

The party got together again, still in the audience room. Rei was the first to speak, and true to form, spoke his mind and possibly everyone else's.

"Jeez Nina, your dad can sure pick the best times to act tough, eh?" He asked her, his sarcasm not well hidden at all.

"In his current state, Yuri would only have a two percent chance of terminating Nina's father," Conqueror 99 informed them. "It was not that illogical."

"That's not the point," Rei told Conqueror 99. "It wasn't a very smart thing to do. It doesn't matter how much chance there actually was."

Momo nodded. "I have to agree with Rei on this one," she said with a small frown. "That Yuri fellow isn't someone you want to push your chances with."

Nina sighed. "I know, but it's something he has to do. He is the King, and he always has to show strength, especially if he wants to keep the faith of his people. It's a very difficult responsibility." She looked a bit down.

Ryu placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly at her when she turned to look at him. "Your father is a good and strong man, Nina," he told her. "You don't have to worry about him."

Nina kept looking at Ryu for a moment in silence, than smiled in sweet gratitude and nodded. "Right!" She told him.

Rei sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So, how exactly does the King intend to have us change _our less than noble_ appearances?" He asked in a rather annoyed tone. Clearly, the King had somewhat offended the former thief.

Nina giggled. "Well, we'll have to go the royal tailors for that!" She told him. She was slowly getting better, Ryu noticed, and seemed to have some of that same energy that she is so well known for. She placed both hands on her hips and smirked. "Now let's get you guys noble!"

And so it was that the party prepared for the birthday that would soon take place at night. As they would soon find out, getting ready for a royal festivity was no easy task.

To start with, it was rather hard to brush Momo's hair, which was so exaggeratedly long and braided that the royal maids nearly had heart attacks, and one of them actually fainted from the frustration of combing Momo's hair. In the end, they decided to allow gravity to help, since Momo's hair was considerably heavy. After a small issue of a small boy hiding from the one of the maids within Momo's hair was resolved, they were able to brush it down with copious amounts of water and combing.

Rei was no better. His hair was messy and unkempt, and he really liked it that way. He had to be held down by five guards and strapped to a chair before they were able to brush his hair back, and Ryu would for various days remember Rei's cries as the maids combed the knots of his hair.

Then there were the issues of his clothes. Rei was comfortable wearing the vest, and when he saw the noble's suit he was supposed to wear, which to him was a strange assortment of colors and puffy pants, he nearly fought with the guards again. However, he had been talked down by both Nina and Momo. The threat of Momo's cannon might have helped in the argument. Rei ripped out the sleeves, however; he was at least keeping some of his dignity.

Conqueror 99 was perhaps the hardest one of all. After all, how does one prepare a robot? Momo had a solution, however. She and two others had painted Conqueror 99's armor pink, with a slight touch of red. Lovely little hearts had been painted across his body to make him seem friendlier, and single white bunny head, which was quite badly drawn, was plastered in his chest. Momo had been so taken that she decided to rename him Bunny for the night. Rei made no effort to suppress his laughter when he saw Conqueror 99's makeover, and when the robot gazed at himself in the mirror, he remarked to Ryu in a low voice so as not to alarm Momo. "I feel a strange desire to dismantle myself and hide under a junk pile. Is this feeling normal?"

Ryu chuckled nervously, feeling rather sorry for the robot, which clearly was not familiar with shame. "Erm, yeah Conqueror, it is," he told the robot. He patted its mechanical arm sympathetically. "But it's only for the night, right?"

The robot made a perfect mimic of a sigh. "Miss Momo is thinking of keeping me this way," he told Ryu.

Ryu chuckled again. "Oh… Sorry to hear that…"

Ryu, at least, posed none of the challenges. His hair was alright by everyone's standards, which he was relieved to find out, and he wore his funny clothes without complaint. It was Nina's special night, and he wanted to make sure it went great for her.

So, the day finally ended, and the party found themselves in the audience room once again, which had been prepared for Nina's birthday. Many long, silk laces of various colors could be seen above them, and many entertainers stood ready, from musicians to juggles to monster tamers, whose monsters were outside of course.

Rei and Ryu were the first in the audience room, and Rei could not seem less happy with his clothes. Ryu did notice how Rei's hair had been slicked back, with horse spit, he had heard. It might be another reason why Rei looked so sour.

"Aw, come on Rei, I think you look good in that," Ryu told him while holding in a chuckle.

Rei frowned at him. "Yeah, keep laughing, smart guy," Rei told him. "You're not the one who had to chase off a bunch of shoe tailors."

Ryu did stop laughing, and gazed at Rei with some alarm. "You chased off shoe tailors?"

Rei raised an annoyed eyebrow. "They said my feet were mutated…" He growled. This time, Ryu did laugh.

Soon after, Momo came to them, accompanied by the ridiculous looking-and-now-named Bunny. They're mouths fell wide open at the sight of Momo.

Momo was wearing a white and silver gown, with a wide incision that showed her right leg almost completely. She had a single silver lace tied on her just behind her neck that seemed to shimmer. Her long hair, now unbraided, flowed down her back and nearly touched the ground. She still wore her round glasses.

She smiled at them. "Hi guys!" She greeted. "So, what do you think?" She made a small spin in front of them.

"You look great, Momo!" Ryu told her sincerely. Rei didn't answer.

"Rei?" Momo asked him curiously.

"They're real…" Rei said his gaze somewhat under Momo's face.

"What?" Momo asked him curiously.

"From the angle of Rei's face, he is gazing at Miss Momo's chest," Conqueror 99 informed.

The pain Rei felt was sharp and abrupt, and soon he was massaging a growing lump on the top of his head. "Ow!" He yelled. "What was that for?!"

"You were staring at my breasts, you pervert!" Momo yelled at him angrily.

"I didn't even know you had them!" Rei retorted. "Of course I was surprised!"

Ryu winced visibly, and even Conqueror 99 cringed. It was a horrific answer, no doubt. Apparently, Rei noticed his mistake too, as his eyes widened visibly. It was too late however, and the usually cheery Momo was boiling with visible rage. However, before the whole thing could culminate into a bloodbath, the guests had finally arrived, and Rei was spared the night.

To Rei, the guests that arrived where of the snooty type. Rich people used to rich things, they walked with an air of arrogance and uppity ness that made Rei gag. It didn't help that they all gazed at him with raised and almost judgmental looks, no doubt due to the state of his clothes.

"I hate rich parties," Rei muttered to Ryu as the guests finally decided to speak among themselves.

"I thought this was your first party with rich people?" Ryu asked him as he served himself some royal punch. Exactly what was so royal about it, neither Ryu nor Rei would understand, as it tasted quite regular to them.

"It is," Rei told him. "It's pretty obvious by now that I just won't like them." He sighed and frowned. He let out a small yelp and looked behind. A group of children stood there, and one had pulled on his tail curiously. The child that pulled on his tail looked and smiled. Apparently, they liked his tail.

Rei chuckled, and went on to entertain the children, who were probably as bored as he was. Ryu smiled and turned his attention to Conqueror 99, or Bunny, as he was called for the night. He was quite a curiosity, and many simply stopped to look at this strange robot. Momo, of course, was explaining away every meticulous detail, which only confused the people around her, and Ryu himself, and despite Conqueror 99 not having a face, Ryu could tell that the robot was feeling embarrassed again, probably not fully understanding the feeling.

Then, after only a little while, the festivities truly took a swing for the better. Over at the part of the castle where the soldiers normally trained, were all the entertainers, the area fixed up specifically for them. Soon, there were jugglers everywhere, throwing up into the air flaming torches only to grab them expertly and effortlessly, only to throw them in the air again. The monster tamers were just as impressive, able to make normally untamable monsters pull of tricks at the sound of a whip or a specific call. To set the mood, the musicians played very lively music.

Yet, despite all the things to be done, Ryu did not find Nina. Rei, who had just returned from fighting a Curr that had gone a bit wild, noticed it also and remarked it to Ryu. "Wonder where she is?" He asked the dragon prince.

Ryu simply shook his head, looking around hoping to see the Wyndian princess. Momo and Bunny also joined him and Rei, and all four looked around.

Rei scratched the back of his head. "Huh, maybe she's supposed to make one of those big entrances, you know, maybe walk down some stairs or something." He suggested.

Momo nodded. "Maybe. If that's the case, they're sure taking their time," she said, a bit annoyed.

"Nina," Ryu muttered. Just then, the music silenced quickly, leaving a very dead silence in it's wake. The torches that lit the castle dimmed a bit, and a single scribe came down the stairs that lead to the royal chambers. He then spoke loudly and clearly, to ensure that all could hear him. "Now presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Nina of Wyndia!"

There was a light that suddenly shone on the Princess, and many were left breathless. Nina had also let her hair down, which smoothly resembled golden threads. Her dress was red, with lilac laces tied around her waist. She had a bit of make-up on, just enough to accentuate her best features. She still wore her gold cuffs, which seemed to glow in the dim light, and her small wings only seemed to complete her image of an earthly angel.

All in all, everyone was impressed. She went down the stairs and faced them all, a kind and sweet smile greeting them. The King and Queen came down next, both also impressively dressed. They were the royal family, and they showed an image of true strength and gentleness that left many nobles breathtaken.

Nina walked past the guests, kindly greeting those that greeted her first, until she reached her friends.

"Looking good, Nina!" Rei told her with a thumb up and a small wink.

"Yeah Nina, you're very pretty in that dress!" Momo consented happily, her ears twitching a bit as they always did when she was especially happy or inquisitive. Conqueror nodded silently in agreement.

Ryu remained silent, and Nina did not miss this. "Well, Ryu?" She asked a bit shyly, really wanting his opinion.

Ryu smiled warmly at her. "You look beautiful, Nina," he told her sincerely. Nina blushed, but managed to hide it.

It was then that a slow music began, and the crowd began parting. Nina and the group looked around confused, only to find that everyone was gazing expectantly at Nina. It was then that it hit them; they wanted her to dance.

"Um…" Nina was alarmed; nobody told she was supposed to have a dance partner, let alone dance at all!

Meanwhile, Momo, Rei and Conqueror 99 all understood in silence that there was only one solution; moving as one, they nudged Ryu towards Nina and backed away themselves. Nina and Ryu now looked at each other nervously. Ryu didn't even know how to dance.

"Um…" Nina swallowed hard. Ryu couldn't swallow at all, but understanding the position Nina was in, he stepped forward first, and thinking back to those few books he ever had time to read, pulled Nina closer.

Nina nearly tripped, as this was both quick and unexpected. However, she would get over her shyness and place her hand on Ryu's and one on his shoulder. Ryu grasped her hand and placed the other behind her waist.

"I don't know how to dance," Ryu whispered to her with a nervous chuckle.

Nina giggled. "That's okay, I never learned that well either."

Ryu smiled, and she smiled back. To Nina, the night had reached perfection.

Far from the festivities, down in the castle's dungeons, however, there was no joy. The guard there was quite angry at his fellows, who had managed to make him pull the shortest stick, and in essence, get him stuck in guard duty over the cells. He lay against the wall, snoozing. He was awoken by a sudden cold draft, which is supposed to be impossible, considering where he was.

"What the…?" Before he could finish his sentence, however, he would feel a sharp pain across his chest. When he looked down, he realized that his breastplate had a long crack across it, and blood was pouring out of it. The alarmed guard fell on his knees, not understanding what had just happened. Unable to let himself up, he fell on his face, but just before he died, he saw a couple of black boots walking past him towards the cells. After that, darkness would envelope him, and he would know no more.

The stranger walked with a silent confidence. The prisoners that bothered to look up saw a woman dressed in a black robe. She wore leather hoses and boots, long black gloves that didn't cover her fingers, and a wide brimmed hat, with strands of lilac pink hair could be seen under her hair. She wore a piece of dark cloth around her face, and only her sinister green eyes could be seen. She stopped in front of the fourth cell to the left. She grabbed the iron bars with both hands and gazed at the chained figure before her.

"Yuri…" She said in a low voice.

Yuri had been chained heavily; both his arms and legs were shackled to incredibly heavy iron balls that had taken two soldiers each to take to him. A single metal collar was around his neck, and this one had a thick iron chain that went up to the roof. It was meant to keep him in a sitting position, where he wouldn't even have the comfort of stretching his back. It was meant to be part of his punishment before his execution.

However, far from looking uncomfortable, Yuri had a very relaxed expression, and seemed fine with his accommodations. At the moment, he didn't respond to the woman calling his name.

"Yuri of the Red Moon," said the woman. She smirked under her mask. "So, this is how the great assassin ends up then, hmm? Held down by a few shackles?"

Once again, he gave her no response. Yuri was either deaf or ignoring her completely. She narrowed her eyes. "I've been told that you faced a most peculiar young man."

At this, Yuri did bother to look up at the woman. "So, you do know something about him then?" He asked her in his low, sinister voice.

The woman chuckled. "We have a… suspicion, but we still need to confirm it."

Suddenly, Yuri was free of his shackles; he had actually snapped the chains that held him down. He moved with deadly silence and grabbed the woman's neck tightly with his right hand. "Well now, you've caught my attention," he told her. He grinned at the sight of her eyes. On closer inspection, her green eyes seemed to have a neon quality to them.

"Interesting," he muttered. "A Northerner..." He chuckled darkly. "Now why would a Northerner come all the way down here, hmm?"

The woman, who had already been surprised by how easily Yuri could catch her, was now shocked by his apparent knowledge of her origins. "How…?"

"I've been past the Northern Checkpoint," he told her with a grin. "I've seen the people of the northern lands."

"I-I see…" Said the woman. She remained calm despite having Yuri's fingers wrap tightly around her neck. "Well then, we are merely here to find the Dragon Prince."

Yuri's eyes narrowed sinisterly. "The Dragon Prince? Weren't they all extinguished in the Great War?"

She shook her head. "No, t-there are still a few of them out there, but the boy is the only one we know who has their powers, and the power of Infinity." It was amazing how hard it was to swallow when one's esophagus was tightened under what it should be.

Yuri laughed. "I see. That would explain much. What?" He asked the woman's alarmed expression. "I know of the Dragon Genes and the power of Infinity. Don't bother asking me how. So, if you want him, why come to me?"

"Because we are in need of some assistance," said a second male voice. Both Yuri and the woman looked around, only to find a young man dressed in a violent red yukata approach them, a large grin clear on his face. "You see, the Dragon Boy is surrounded by some bothersome allies, and until we confirm what he is, we cannot risk killing him outright. It would be difficult if he's party is there to help him."

Yuri grinned. "I see…" He finally let go of the woman, and stepped away from the bars. "Interesting."

The young man dressed in red pulled out a small black gem from his right sleeve and offered it to Yuri. "Well then, Assassin of the Red Moon, what do you say?" He asked him, his wide grin matched only by his manic eyes. "Will you join us in painting the world red?"

Yuri gazed at the gem for a moment. He could feel a dark, malevolent aura coming from it. It was frightening, yet it compelled Yuri to reach for it. He grabbed it, and immediately understood what it was. "An Onyx Gem…" He muttered.

The man in red continued to grin. "Yes…" He said, his voice almost a hiss.

Yuri clenched his fist around the gem. He chuckled softly, then slowly rose up to a cackle, then rose to a maniacal laughter as the dark aura enveloped him. The two assassins outside the cell merely stared in silence; the woman's expression fathomless under her mask, the young man grinning in joy.

And above the dungeons, where the once joyous festivity was still underway, the castle shook ominously, and Ryu, Rei, Momo, Nina, and Conqueror 99 all looked around in alarm. The nobles nearly panicked because of the quake, but the five heroes were worried about another feeling; a truly malicious power that seemed to mock them were they stood.

"W-What is happening?!" Yelled the Queen, holding on to her husband.

Before the King could do anything to comfort his wife, the training ground erupted, killing many nobles and guards almost instantly. And as the smoke and debris cleared, all gazed fearfully at the trio of assassins, who glared at them all with utter contempt.

Under the stars, the castle of Wyndia will glow red, as the assassins unleash the terrible powers of the North unto its terrorized occupants.


	4. Royal Blood

Chapter 3

Royal Blood

"W-W-What?!" Nina stammered, horrified by the sight before her. Dozens of the guests, many close friends of Nina, lay dead across the training ground, their mangled corpses differing only barely from the guards' dead bodies. The survivors ran in panic, many screaming in terror and horror at the sight of such carnage. Throngs of people rang out the castle doors, desperate they were to get away from the horrible sight and obvious danger. Then there was the smell; the horrible smell of blood and bowels having being released. It was unbearable, that stench. The stench of Death.

Standing atop the highest part of the rubble, the three assassins gazed down at the chaos they had created with utter contempt. Yuri stood in between the two newcomers, grinning in his sinister fashion. He could sense the sheer terror emanating from those who were running away, and the smell of Death was wondrous to his nostrils. He turned his head slightly to the right, and saw to his glee that Ryu and his party were there, glaring up at him, having drawn their weapons from the robot that had defeated him earlier. Nina, the Wyndian Princess, was on her knees. She seemed to be in a catatonic shock, her face frozen in horror at the sight before her.

Zen turned his head ever so slightly and saw Ryu. He grinned as well, a far more manic grin. His red eyes seemed to almost glitter at the sight of the Dragon Prince.

"He's here!" He told his partner with glee.

The woman glanced at Ryu's direction and narrowed her eyes. "So he's our target…" She muttered. She walked and stood beside Zen, speaking to Yuri without looking at him. "You may do with his allies what you wish, but the Dragon is ours."

Yuri chuckled. "Fair enough." In an instant, he was in the air, his handblades once again sliding out of his wrists. He fell like a meteor on the party, almost immediately clashing blades with Rei. Before Ryu could even consider helping his friend, he was attacked by the two assassins, both moving as silent as shadows. Their blades barely made a sound as they attacked Ryu, who skillfuly countered their blows.

"Who are you?" Ryu asked angrily, gripping his sword tightly with both hands, his eyes blazing with fury.

"My name is Yvie…" The woman told Ryu. She pointed at the man now standing behind the Dragon Prince and said, "That is Zen." The man in the red yukata tipped his hat at Ryu.

"Why are you doing this?!" Ryu asked now, his voice demanding. He was furious at these people who came from nowhere to attack innocent people and worse, hurt Nina.

Yvie merely chuckled, raising her sword and pointing it at Ryu. "We'll tell you soon enough. First, however…" She charged forward, and Zen soon followed, his smile widening.

Rei and Yuri were like blurs, both matching each other's speed almost perfectly. To the normal eye, the only way to tell where they stopped was the sound of blade clashing against blade; both warriors fought with immense ferocity. Another particularly hard attack left both holding one of each other's blades; the other two were pierced into each other's chest.

Rei was panting hard, his breathing made all the harder from the blade that was embedded into his chest. _Well, at least it's not deep_, Rei thought to himself, frowning to his insides. He looked into Yuri's eyes and thought the same thing he did the first time he met Yuri; the bastard was crazy. Yuri chuckled malevolently, Rei's blade having pierced his armor and cut a bit into his own chest.

"Marvelous," he told Rei, his eyes shining with glee. "What interesting opponents…"

"Oh, shut it!" Rei yelled at Yuri, completely not in the mood to hear some moronic speech from some psychopath. He rose his foot and kicked hard on Yuri's chest, sending both away from each other. At that very moment, he heard the familiar boom of Momo's bazooka, and Yuri was engulfed in the explosion that happened not far from him.

Rei stood up, ignoring the shallow chest wound, gazing at the smoke as Momo ran to his side. Her dress was amazingly clean considering all the people that tried to push her aside. She stood ready beside Rei, her cannon aiming at the smoke.

"I think I got him!" Momo said, though even in her voice was some doubt. She glanced worriedly at Rei's wound, but she knew it would take a lot more than that to drop the weretiger.

"No," Rei told her, his voice heavy with disgust. "No, he's still there, and I think he's enjoying himself." Momo blinked confused and looked at Rei with a questioning expression that he did not answer. He wasn't certain how, but Rei knew that Yuri was enjoying himself immensely. Yuri could have backed away from that deadlock easily, but instead he had seemed to try to push himself deeper into Rei's blade. Rei couldn't help but wonder…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Yuri dashed out of the smoke, smiling sinisterly at his victims. He slashed down, his speed so fast even Rei's reflexes failed him. Fortunately, Momo had expected something like this, and soon her umbrella shield was before them, blocking Yuri's attack. Yuri would have jumped over the umbrella shield when it blocked him, but Conqueror 99 grabbed him from behind and threw him across the chamber. Yuri had been partially surprised, but soon straightened himself in the air and landed on his feet.

"Ah, it's you…" Yuri told Conqueror 99 in a low voice. The robot had regained its original color, having peeled off the ludicrous pink one. It rose its fists and got in its fighting stance, it's faceless head facing Yuri.

"Conqueror 99!" Momo said happily. She ran and stood beside her loyal companion, Rei standing on the other side of the robot.

Yuri chuckled, his left eye suddenly blackening. No one noticed this but Conqueror 99, and the robot pushed the other two out of the way. Before Rei could understandably yell at Conqueror 99, a large black mass of energy charged forth, engulfing the robot in it's overwhelming darkness.

Rei was silently shocked by this sight, but Momo made no effort to show her distress. "Conqueror 99!" She yelled out, her voice full of panic. The energy soon dispersed, and both gasped in shock.

Conqueror 99's armor had been punctured completely through by Yuri, the assassin's hand sticking out of the robot's back. Conqueror 99 held Yuri's arm with both hands, and it turned it's head meaningfully at the other two. Momo nodded, and immediately fired two rounds at Yuri. One hit him on his ribs, and the explosion sent him flying back; the second one hit him squarely on the chest, and once again the assassin was engulfed in the explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Yuri was still standing and very much untouched. This definitely irritated Rei.

"So when did this guy get so strong?!" He asked irritated. "He's nearly done in Conqueror 99!"

Conqueror 99 still stood quite normally, though the status report it gave Momo was unnerving and quite depressing. "My systems have been reduced to 75 efficiency. Another attack like that I will be destroyed."

Rei nodded. "What the hell was that?" He asked Conqueror 99, never taking his eyes off Yuri. "He never used anything like that before!"

"It is something… strange." Conqueror 99 admitted. "My scanners cannot detect any anomaly in his being."

Rei scowled. "Great, so the guy got some amazing undetectable power? That figures."

Momo took careful aim at Yuri, who seem to have decided to wait for them to attack.

"No," Conqueror 99 responded with a certainty that earned looks from Rei and Momo. "It has nothing to do with newfound power…"

The robot charged forward, moving extremely fast despite working 30 less functional, and sent a flurry of punches and kicks at Yuri, who dodged each attack with irritating ease. Rei soon followed, and the three were soon caught in a desperate close-quarters struggle, though it was clear that Yuri had the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Ryu was busy fighting the two terrible assassins, who had proved to be far more skilled than even he had expected. Ryu slashed at Zen's torso, who blocked with one of his short swords, allowing Ryu's blade to slide down to the end before spinning around full and slashing at Ryu's face. Ryu lunged forward rather than retreating, and was able to stop the man's attack and tackle him back with his shoulder. Zen was knocked back to the ground, and Ryu spun around and parried a downward slash from Yvie.

"Impressive skill, Dragon Boy," she told him with a small chuckle. "To think that we've only been able to wound you ten times, it's amazing."

Ryu was shocked that this woman would know what he was. "How..?" Before he could finish, however, Zen's short sword grazed his shoulder. Ryu quickly swung his sword at Zen, making him back away.

"We've wasted too much time here," Yvie said. "How about you transform already?"

Ryu blinked at this sudden request, now looking at both with confusion.

"Why else do you think we'd be in this idiotic kingdom, Dragon Boy?" Zen asked him with a sneer. "We only came here to see you!"

Ryu was stunned to hear these news. He then looked around him, at the ruined interior of the castle. He gazed at all the dead, all those people who only came to enjoy Nina's birthday. He looked down at the ground, and a perceivable aura of anger soon engulfed him.

"You did all this, just to see if I'm actually a dragon?" He asked, his voice low and quivering slightly, having finally understood their intentions.

"What? It's not like their lives would have had any significant meaning," Zen said, his smile never fading. "Our only interest is in your dragon power. That is, if you can still use it."

Ryu dropped his sword to his side, and glared up at the two assassins who now stood side by side, facing him. He clenched his fists, and soon power started surging through his body, and a colored aura started going up his body. "Well, don't let me disappoint you," he told them coldly.

Nina had, for the most part, still being horribly affected by the horror that was being unleashed in her home. She had given herself a mental kick, however, and went on to try to help the wounded. They were many and all were gravely wounded, which only served to alarm Nina. She was almost despairing, unable to help her friends due to all the healing she had to do. Her hands were covered in the blood of people she had attempted to help.

She froze when she heard Ryu's scream. She turned just in time to see Ryu be engulfed in a familiar dark dome of energy, eldritch energies crackling across the dome. "Ryu…" Nina said in a low voice. He had been pushed into accession. She looked over at the two assassins, who were clearly unfazed by the sight of Brood power. Soon, the dome dissolved, and the Warrior dragon faced its enemies.

Yvie smiled at the humanoid dragon. "Let's begin then," she said contently. Both she and Zen charged Ryu, moving silently and quickly as they attacked with their weapons.

Ryu grabbed their arms before they could drop all the way, and this definitely alarmed them both. Ryu let go of their arms, and in an instant had both his fists deep into their stomachs. Both let out loud gasps as the air was literally punched out of them, flying and slamming into the castle walls. They both stood in unison, looking up at the dragon that was so quickly closing the distance between them.

"Sh--!" Yvie moved out of the way quickly as Ryu missed his punch at her face, his fist punching into the stone wall. He turned on Zen and reached out, grabbing his throat and once again slamming him into the wall. Zen rose his foot and slammed it hard on Ryu's chest, managing to force him away from himself. Zen charged forward, smiling madly despite the fact that blood was flowing from his mouth quite freely. He slashed at Ryu in quick and hard strikes, but Ryu in Warrior form was proving to be stronger, and with a single punch he sent Zen through one of the castle's pillars, burying him under it's rubble.

Yvie face Ryu, glaring at him fiercely. "So, you are a dragon after all. That's good. Our mission is near completion."

Ryu turned to face her, his clawed feet so sharp they left marks on the ground. His expression was very calm, though his eyes betrayed a fierce ferocity that made Yvie flinch. "There's no hope for you to win here," he told here. He spread out his wings, and his image seemed more imposing by this simple act. "Leave."

His statement held an authority that only a dragon could hope to achieve, and for a split second Yvie did in fact consider listening to him, but she remained strong. "You really think you've won already?" The rubble which had Zen buried suddenly lifted and scattered, and Zen rose to his feet, his hat and clothes shreds, his body covered in cuts and bleeding everywhere, yet his smile seemed to only have broadened.

"W-What?!" It was all that Ryu was able to say, as the maddened Zen lunged at Ryu, his eyes darkening until they seemed like two dark spheres. Zen stretched out his right hand and grabbed Ryu's face. "Gaze into the eternity of darkness!" He shouted as he laughed maniacally. "And see into the void of the Northern Sky!"

Ryu let out a horrible scream as he felt a malign force invade his spirit, tearing through his very soul as it filled him with bizarre and nightmarish images of blood, of terror. Memories that Ryu had long left behind resurfaced, and he felt the pain of loss of so many of his friends, of so many innocents. His left pupil darkened until it became a black spot in a sea of white.

Zen, seeing his objective was complete, let go of Ryu's face and kicked him back, sending the dragon prince rolling on the ground. Ryu seemed completely haggard, looking as if he had been forced to run for miles while carrying heavy boulders.

Nina ran to Ryu's side, a look of worry in her face. She kneeled beside him and turned him around. She was alarmed to see how weak he was even though he hadn't suffered any real physical damage. "Ryu!"

"It's over," Yvie said, sheathing her sword. "The message has been passed. We leave now, Zen." She said his name in a rather dangerous tone, perhaps sensing Zen's desire to continue the fight.

Zen merely shrugged, and picked up his two short swords. "We'll see you later, Dragon Boy," he told him, and both assassins turned to leave. However, the King was blocking the way, flanked by his two best knights.

"Oh look, the King wishes to entertain us," Zen said with interest, already raising his swords. Before Yvie could even add a comment, however, Yuri had stepped forth, moving ahead of them as he approached the King. Rei, Momo, and Conqueror 99 were all on the floor, not dead, but Rei and Conqueror 99 were gravely wounded. Momo hadn't really been touched, though a single punch from Yuri did more damage than expected.

"Leave him to me," Yuri said, his smile widening sinisterly. The other two silently complied, though Zen did look rather disappointed.

Yuri stopped about five feet from the King, his sinister and hateful smile still there. "Why hello there, Your Highness," he said in a mocking polite tone. "It's been so long."

"Yuri, I'll make you wish you remained in that dungeon," the King growled at Yuri, his eyes blazing with vengeful anger.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it, your Highness!" Yuri said, grinning as he lunged at the King, his left eye once again becoming completely black.

The King's knights got ready as the King cast a Resist spell, and the unbreakable barrier stopped Yuri's thrust easily. "You cannot defeat me!" The King said confidently.

Yuri merely grinned in silence. He pushed on the spell, and to everyone's horror, he was starting to break through.

"I-Impossible!" The King shouted alarmed. His knights moved forth to stop Yuri, but it was too late.

Yuri broke through the spell, and the spell shattered like the King's confidence. The same dark energy that had engulfed Conqueror 99 engulfed the King and his knights, it's power killing the knights outright. The King was stronger magically, and he boldly resisted, casting a powerful Magic Ball point blank at Yuri. An explosion of magic and power hid both from the eyes of all. As the smoke cleared, Nina let out an earsplitting shriek.

Yuri's blade had stabbed right through the King's magnificent silver armor, the blade sticking out of the King's back, drenched in the monarch's blood. He was still clinging to alive, glaring up at Yuri as blood flowed down his armor.

"Foolish child," Yuri told the King, his grin reduced to an arrogant smirk. "You never had the power to defeat madness." He tossed the King's corpse aside, who slid off the blade easily and landed a few feet away from Yuri. Nina ran in a horrified panic, turning her father around. Tears flowed freely down her face as she embraced her father.

"No, Father! Please, no! No!" She cried desperately. She could feel the skin of his face growing colder, his expression more tired, his eyes more glazed. "No!"

Ryu heard her. He heard her sobbing desperately. He rose to his feet, glaring at Yuri's back. He felt strange; he didn't feel sadness, but hatred. He felt burning hatred in his heart that threatened to consume him whole. He growled in anger, his eyes blazing with fury. He let out a loud bellow of rage and charged Yuri's back, sending a powerful punch forward that would have been capable of killing a human outright.

Yuri, however, dodged it without even looking at it. He spun around and cut up Ryu's chest as Ryu's momentum made him go past Yuri. The wound was deep, and blood splattered on the ground and Yuri. Ryu took a few staggering steps back, one hand on his wound, his eyes still glaring at Yuri with blinding hatred.

"Dragon Boy," Yuri said in a low voice. He chuckled. "You have a good look in your eyes. Keep them. They will serve you well." He chuckled as he walked out the front door with the other two. Ryu had made to follow, but felt a searing pain in his chest and only vomited more blood.

He fell down on his knees, the world suddenly fading away and getting dark. He could hear voices far away, but they were too distant for him to know who it was. The last thing Ryu saw was Nina, who was crying shrilly over the King, her arms wrapped around her father's head. There was no life in the King's eyes…

As Ryu was enveloped in the darkness of his own mind, silent whispers would haunt his mind, reminding him of past tragedies and pains. The loudest of these whispers seemed the most sinister, the most commanding, and in the darkest reaches of his mind, Ryu could hear only one word come from this voice: "North."


	5. The King laid to rest

Chapter 4

A King Laid to Rest; A journey that moves ahead

_Go north,_ whispered the sinister voice over and over_. Go north. Go to the northern lands, beyond the borders of the known world. Go and find the truth of the Northern Void. _

Ryu groaned as the sharp pain in his head woke him up. He slowly opened his eyes, hearing familiar voices around him. When he finally came to, he saw Rei and Momo were both sitting on either side of him. He himself was laying on a modest bed in what must be the castle's servant quarters. He could see a long row of other beds that stretched quite far at either side of the room. He tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in his chest ensured that he stayed down.

"Oh good, you're awake," Rei said, clearly relieved. "We were worried about you there, Ryu. You've been out for four days."

"What happened?" Ryu asked weakly, only dimly registering this piece of information.

"Yuri and the other two left," Momo explained, who seemed to finally be breathing properly now that she knew Ryu was better. "Many of the castle guards are busy burying the dead and helping the survivors."

Ryu nodded, grimacing at the thought of all those people that died. It was then that the memory of Nina hit him hard, and he sat up quickly, though quickly regretting it when the pain came back. "And Nina?" He asked as he winced slightly. "Is she alright? What about the King?"

Momo opened her mouth as if to explain, but merely closed it, suddenly looking very sad. She gazed at the ground and shook her head.

Rei was the one who managed to give the news directly. "Ryu, the King is… dead." He told him, his voice heavy. "Nina's not doing any better."

Ryu's eyes widened with alarm. "What happened to Nina?! Is she hurt?!" He had blacked out after all. The three assassins might have decided to hurt her as well.

Momo spoke this time, and she had the voice of someone who was talking about the recent dead. "She's locked herself in her room and hasn't come out all day. She's been very distressed and has cried so much. Oh Ryu, what are we supposed to do?"

Ryu looked at his feet, which were covered by a thick blanket, and didn't answer. Momo's question had a very truthful thought; they needed to do something. They had just been attacked by a random force, and many people died because of it. Worse, they seemed to know who Ryu was and he was the target of the attack. Such disregard for the lives of others was shocking, yet not necessarily new. Ryu had met some of their ilk in the past, and they had all proven to be extremely dangerous.

Ryu's immediate concern, however, was Nina. He rose up from his bed despite the pain; he would ask Momo to heal him properly later. He walked off, only now realizing he was wearing what looked like patient's robes, and barefooted. He ignored the other's pleas for him to wait till tomorrow. He had to see Nina now.

He walked up the stairs and down the hall that would lead to Nina's room. He wasn't surprised to see Nina's mother in front of the door, trying to convince her daughter to leave the room. The Queen looked extremely tired and her eyes were slightly puffy, which showed she too had cried for a long time. She was flanked by two guards. She hadn't noticed Ryu at all until he addressed her, and she glared at him hatefully.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him acidly.

"Please, let me try to speak with her," he asked the Queen in a low voice. "I think I can get her to listen." He also needed to talk with Nina. On the way to her room, Ryu had glanced at himself in a mirror and realized that his left eye had a black spot where his azure iris used to be. He also needed to talk to her about the whispers, and where they were telling him to go.

For a moment, though, the Queen seemed intent on sending Ryu away as rudely as possible. No doubt she believed him responsible for her husband's death in some way. In the back of his head, Ryu couldn't help but agree with her.

"Humph." She turned from the door and walked past Ryu, not even so much as glancing at him. She stopped at the edge of the stairs, her loyal guards standing at the ready. "I do not want you in this kingdom for any period of time," she told him icily. "You will only stay until the King's burial tomorrow, because Nina seems intent on being accompanied by you--" She stopped herself quickly, apparently resisting the temptation to curse at him. "After the burial, you will leave Wyndia and never return."

Without waiting for Ryu's response, she walked down the stairs briskly, along with her guards.

Ryu walked over to the door and knocked on it three times. "Nina? It's me, Ryu," he told her through the door in a soft voice. "Please open."

For a few seconds there was no response, and Ryu grew worried that she might not open even for him, but then he heard the sound of the lock being removed, and sighed in relief. He opened the door and stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was the terrible state Nina's room was. The drawers were scattered across the room, the dresses inside all torn and ruined, as if Nina had destroyed them in a fit of rage or more likely depression. The mirror on the left of the bed was shattered, and the contents of the cosmetics were all spread on the table. The bed itself was torn, the pillow having been ripped open and the sheets torn.

Nina herself wasn't in any better condition. Her face was dirty with dried tears, her bloodshot eyes so hopeless it made Ryu's heart sink. Her golden hair was unkempt and wild, and even the dress she was wearing seemed to have gone through some abuse. Her knees were drawn up to her chest as she sat on the bed. She didn't even look at Ryu.

Ryu sat beside her on the bed, trying not to let her terrible state get the better of him, but it was hard. It was so depressing to see her like this; her usual joy and energy destroyed by such a terrible event. It was all he could do to not just simply hug her and do everything in his power to comfort her, to tell her that it would all be alright somehow, but he knew better. Nothing would be alright after this, and what was to come could only be worse.

"The room's a mess," Nina said in a whisper so miserable it shook Ryu from his thoughts.

"What?" Ryu asked, a bit surprised at the rather random comment.

"The room," she repeated, her eyes surveying her quarters. "It's a mess that I made. I tried to pick some of it up, but… but…" Her eyes welled with tears, and she sobbed quietly, burying her face in her knees. "I couldn't do anything!" She yelled out miserably.

"I couldn't help anyone!" She continued, tears flowing down freely. "Last night, everyone else was fighting that creep while I just froze! When I tried to help, the guests were already dying! I didn't move and I just… And now even father is…" Her voice was strangled, as if finishing the sentence would make the whole terrible thing real.

"Nina…" Ryu said worriedly, reaching out to her, but he didn't need to. Nina had thrown herself on his arms, hugging her arms around his neck and crying into his chest.

"I let him die!" She wailed at him, tears flowing down like small rivers despite her eyes being shut so tightly. "He died in my arms! I couldn't do anything! I ran out of magic power and I couldn't help him! I was useless! I-I… I couldn't even stop myself."

Ryu gasped in horror and pulled her from the hug. Only now had he realized the fresh scars in Nina's wrists. She had cut herself with the glass from the shattered mirror, and Ryu found proof of this from the glass piece on her bed, which had small yet visible blood stains.

"I-I was scared!" Nina tried to explain, her voice shaky. "I-I couldn't bare it anymore! I just… I just…" She broke down into crying again, unable to say anything anymore. Finally, she found the will to say: "What are we supposed to do?!" She buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly.

That was it. That's what had everyone so confused, so hurt. That's what has everyone so worried. The whole thing had happened so quickly, so terribly, that no one was certain as to what they should do next. No one knew except Ryu. He hugged Nina tightly, silent tears going down his face; tears shed for her, for her father, and for himself.

A hate unlike anything he had ever felt before welled up within him once again. He felt furious towards the people who came to attack them, who took so many lives and who have made Nina so miserable, so ruined. For the briefest moment, the black iris in Ryu's left eye seemed to expand before it contracted back to its original size.

"We'll go north," he told her with complete certainty. "We'll go north."

The funeral procession was the saddest event anyone would ever remember in Wyndia. All across the city, black sheets hung from every open window and every door. The castle itself had long, large black sheets made of satin that dropped down from its highest towers to the very ground. The city itself had an air of deep mourning, and not a smile would be seen throughout the day.

The procession began from the castle itself. The first to go forward were the standard bearers, over a dozen of men dressed in gold and black, holding aloft the coat-of-arms of their King. The knights of the King were the ones to follow; all dressed in full battle-armor as they rode their horses slowly down the street. Each one had a single black scarf around his or her neck, a symbol of their mourning for the loss of their monarch. Following behind them were the castle guards themselves, each one marching with military precision, their pikes held high and gleaming from the light of the sun. Behind them were the nobility, many survivors from the attack four days before, all dressed in black, their heads bowed down in silent respect.

Behind them was the coffin of the King himself. The large coffin was magnificent, its rims edged in gold, and its top had a bouquet of many colored flowers. Many of the King's exploits were carved into the sides of the coffin. The carvings were pictorial, and they showed the King's image fighting monsters and other armies. There were also carvings showing him in peace times, sealing treaties and even being with the family. They showed the king for what he was; a great warrior and a great man.

Behind the coffin was the royal family itself; Nina, the Queen, and other relatives who had arrived as soon as the news spread. All were dressed in black; Nina and the Queen both dressed in gowns of regal black, both holding a single rose; one red, held by the Queen, and one white, held by the daughter. Both wore black tunics that covered their faces, both bowing their heads slightly as well. Among these was the party itself; Ryu, Momo, Rei and Conqueror 99 all followed the procession a little distance behind. None uttered a word as the procession continued its way down the streets.

The procession walked towards every corner of the city, and wherever they went, flowers would be thrown ahead of them by mourning civilians. So many and stricken were their expressions that Momo had to look at the ground, almost overwhelmed by the grief of the city. Rei was the calmest one there, besides Conqueror 99. Rei had noticed that Ryu's expression was worrisome; there was sadness, no doubt about it, but there was something else, something deeper that Rei couldn't identify, yet it made him uneasy.

The procession continued until it reached the catacombs; the place where the entire royal family was buried. Ryu remembered the place well, as it was where Nina had led him to try to get out of the castle after Balio and Sunder had tried to kidnap the princess. They proceeded into the long chamber, where many tombstones were lined beside each side of the stone path. The nobility and relatives waited at the exit end of the path. Right at the opposite end was the largest sarcophagus, which was now open and waiting for its occupant.

The soldiers stood at either side of the path, each one facing the other across him and standing in rigid attention. The coffin bearers marched slowly and somberly towards the large sarcophagus, followed closely by Nina and the Queen. Ryu and the others, being who they were, were allowed to stand beside one of the tombstones to watch.

Nina and the Queen stood at each end of the coffin, the Queen at the right end, where she could look directly into the King's face. She had never seen her husband look so peaceful, so serene. He almost seemed asleep rather than dead, and if it weren't for how pale the late King's face was, she might have thought he was indeed sleeping. The reality, however, was much different.

Turning away from her thoughts, she turned to face the assembled people and spoke in a loud, clear voice, full of sadness but in no way broken. "Today we bury a great man! A man who has given his people prosperity and victory! A man who has ruled this kingdom with fairness and justice! A man who has aided all, be they peasant or noble! A man who has loved his people as he has loved his family!"

She turned once again to look down at her husband, impressing upon everyone her royal strength, for despite her sadness, she did not cry. "It is then that we bury this man here, among his ancestors, and that we pray that he crosses over to join them safely." She gently placed the red rose beside the King's face. "As a soul of love…"

Nina placed the white rose on the King's feet. "…And purity," continued the Queen. She remained in deep silence, closing her eyes. Nina and everyone else did the same, offering the King a silent prayer so that he may cross over in peace. A single tear went down Nina's cheek, which dropped into the coffin itself.

"Until we see each other again, my beloved," whispered the Queen, looking down into the King's face one last time.

"Goodbye… Daddy…" Nina said in a low, broken voice.

Both Nina and the Queen backed away from the sarcophagus, as the four coffin bearers lowered a heavy stone slab unto the sarcophagus, thus sealing away the King's body forever. Each and every soldier stood in attention in salute to the King, their once great martial leader, and every nobleman present bowed their heads to the kind and generous monarch.

Inevitably, Nina broke into more tears again, though she valiantly fought against sobbing. Ryu had seen this, and lowered his head, ashamed to even look at Nina. He clenched his fists, since his hands had actually been shaking, but this did not change anything. He closed his eyes, and he could feel his eyes burning as tears started to well up in them.

Rei observed Ryu's reaction silently, realizing that the shadow over Ryu's eyes didn't allow him to tell exactly what Ryu was feeling. However, he had gotten that same feeling of unease from last time. A feeling that whatever Ryu was feeling, it wasn't something he would have ever wanted Ryu to feel. He crossed his arms and sighed. He still hadn't asked Ryu about that eye and from the look of things wouldn't do it anytime soon.

Later that night, the party camped out in the outskirts of the city. They couldn't wait for Nina inside the city, because they had been forbidden from ever entering the city again by the Queen herself. They were all silent, including Conqueror 99, none with any heart to mutter a single word. Rei stood with his back to the tent, leaning against it as he always did, while Ryu and Momo sat on either side of the fire. Conqueror 99 stood at the edge of the woods, scanning for any possible threats.

"Monsters don't usually get this close to the fire, Conqueror 99," Rei told the robot, no longer able to bear the silence.

"Perhaps, but there is no telling if the other three might appear again," replied the robot. Conqueror 99 had been instructed by Momo to not say any of the assassins' names just yet, as it was a rather touchy subject. Though the robot was confused, it obeyed unquestioningly.

Rei sighed and nodded in agreement. He then turned to Ryu, and finally asked the question that had been bothering him since they set up camp. "So, what exactly are we hoping to find north?"

Momo looked over at Ryu, and even Conqueror 99 turned its head to see what Ryu's answer would be.

Ryu simply shook his head, staring into the fire and not glancing at any of them. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I just feel that we have to go." He covered his black eye with his hand, still staring at the fire. "It's over there where we'll know…"

"Know what?" Momo asked curiously.

"I don't know…" Ryu said honestly.

Rei scoffed and scratched the back of his head. "Well doesn't this just beat all? We're off to the middle of nowhere to find out the answer about something we don't even know."

Momo shook her head. "Not necessarily. We might figure out why those three assassins tried to kill Ryu," she said wisely. "After all, that red guy did mention something about the 'northern void', "

"Northern void," Rei repeated, and frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I guess we'll find out when we go north, won't we Ryu?" Momo remarked, once again looking at the dragon prince.

Ryu nodded, still gazing intently at the fire. "Yeah… We will…"

Nina finally arrived a few minutes later. The first thing everyone noticed was how grave she looked, her eyes red from what could have only been more crying. Ryu rose up and hurriedly walked up to Nina, alarmed to see her so sad.

"Nina?" It was all he could say, especially after seeing the clear red mark on her right cheek. "What… happened?"

Nina absentmindedly rubbed her right cheek, and then shook her head. "It's… alright…" She said, her voice once again slightly broken. "Mother just… didn't like the idea of me leaving…" Tears fell down her cheeks, and it dawned on Ryu that Nina must have had the worst fight of her life with her mother. How hard could it have been for Nina, the heiress to the Wyndian kingdom, to tell her mother that she was leaving to possible death? Ryu knew there was nothing he could do to convince her otherwise, and he was partially responsible for making her come, but it still hurt him deep that Nina was leaving in such bad terms.

Nina had wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled rather weakly at Ryu. "Why are you sad, Ryu? It's not you're fault. None of it is."

Ryu hugged her tightly, holding back a fresh wave of tears, resentment growing inside him like a festering disease. It was resentment towards them; towards those assassins that came looking for him, towards those assassins that destroyed Nina's life. More so, he resented himself for being unable to protect Nina. Unable to, even with his great power, stop the deaths of so many people. He resented himself for this, and he swore to himself to never forgive the assassins that brought this upon them.

"Nina, I promise you…" Ryu said, his eyes shining with tears as he held her in the tight embrace. "I won't fail you again."

Nina gasped slightly, and slowly broke into sobbing, crying the tears she could not shed before her mother, letting all her pain and misery pour on Ryu's shoulder. She embraced him tightly, her face pressed on his shoulder, simply sobbing. No words were headed in her direction, as the party allowed the Princess of Wyndia to cry for her father.

One week and a half later, the party finally arrived at the Northern Checkpoint in the Dauna region. When they had arrived, the gate guards were surprised to see Nina with the party, and even more surprised when they saw the papers provided to them. Confused and almost hesitant, the guards opened the gates to allow the party through. As they walked past the checkpoint, its gates slowly closed behind them. Now, they truly stood on the edge of the known world.

"This is it," Rei said, slamming his fist into his other open hand. "It's for real now."

"All systems are working at optimal conditions," Conqueror 99 reported. "I am ready."

Momo pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I have to admit, I'm kinda excited. Who knows what new technology we might find?"

Ryu nodded, and looked back at Nina.

Nina was staring at the horizon, feeling a strange sense of wonder and excitement. She was out again; away from her duties as the princess of Wyndia, away from the confines of her castle and the now terrible memories it held, away from her critical and overbearing mother. She was now only Nina again, off to explore the unknown world and find the answer to the truth of everything that had happened. She couldn't help but allow herself a small smile.

Ryu recognized the fire in Nina's eyes, and it warmed his heart greatly. She had that look of the old Nina, of the Nina who was ready and willing to take all challenges. He smiled at her, and Nina smiled back.

"Let's go," was all she told him. Everyone smiled, and all looked at Ryu.

Ryu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then faced the horizon with a small smile himself. With the party behind him, he took a single step forward. "Yeah, let's go," he told them, and the party marched forth, bravely venturing into the unknown, and the adventures that lay ahead.

Meanwhile, deep in a cavern in the bowels of a damned land, other forces watched with glee through a reflective pool as the party marched into the Northern Lands.

"They're really coming!" An excited young girl with violent red hair and eyes said.

"Of course they are," Zen replied with a smirk. "There's no way they could resist the pull of the Northern Void, especially not the dragon boy."

Yvie tapped her sword on the ground. "I didn't expect them to come so confidently, though," she said, tilting her head curiously. "They're made of stronger stuff than we expected."

Zen chuckled. "I'm quite happy with that. It's no fun to break the broken."

The young girl giggled, and clapped her hands excitedly. "Break the broken! Break the broken!"

"Indeed," said an even darker voice. They all looked at the cave entrance, and a hooded figure walked in, taller than all of them and far more dreadful. Only the girl seemed very happy to see him.

"Hello papa!" The young girl greeted, and hugged the hooded figure.

"Good day, Snow," he greeted back, raising a blackened and scorched hand and ruffling her red hair. "I see you're wearing your usual white."

The young girl was sixteen years old, fair skinned and a bit short for her age. Her red hair was neck length, and it was as smooth and shiny as silk. She did wear all white, as the man had pointed out. A white sleeveless tank, white leather pants that contoured perfectly to her shape, and white heel boots. She wore white shoulder guards and white gloves that reached up to her elbow. She would usually wear a white beret, but she left it behind this time. Her face was the true portrait of innocence; an adorable smile, a cute little nose, and wide eyes that seemed curious of absolutely everything around her.

"Yup yup!" Snow said happily. "Does papa like?"

"I like," said the figure with a small chuckle.

"Lord Xander," Yvie greeted, bowing slightly. "Everything is going as you had planned."

"I know," Xander said with a sinister smile under his hood. "Except for one thing." He looked up at the only silent figure in the cavern, which was leaning smugly on the rocky wall, leering at Xander.

"Who is this man?" Xander asked.

Before anyone could answer, Yuri stepped forward. "The name's Yuri, 'lord Xander'," he said, mentioning the title with an air of obvious disdain.

Xander narrowed his cold, dark eyes. "Yuri… Interesting."

Yuri chuckled malevolently. "Not as interesting as seeing a dried up fossil like you still breathing," he replied, and got looks of both anger and confusion from Zen and Yvie. Snow was too busy being affectionate to Xander to care.

Xander grinned. "Ah… So you are that Yuri. How long has it been, then? About 400 years, correct?" There was a small hint of spite in his voice, and this made Snow stop and blink curiously at Xander, her expression of innocent confusion.

Yuri grinned, and outstretched his right hand; the blade came out from under his wrist. "Roughly so…" He lunged forward, easily bypassing the shocked Zen and Yvie, and thrust his blade straight at Xander's neck.

It was at this instant that Snow reacted. She pulled herself from the hug and turned 180 degrees, swinging a massive blade that she seemed to have pulled from thin air. The blade was at least five feet long. The blade itself was shaped like a semi-circle, ending in a sharp straight point. Yuri found himself inside this semi circle, the blade just inches from cutting his body from the shoulder to his waist. Snow herself had a wide, innocent smile, looking up at Yuri with innocent and even playful eyes.

Yuri didn't move an inch forward, glancing at the girl that looked at him so innocently. He had noticed that the girl held an identical looking sword in her other hand. The small creature had unbelievable strength to be able to even wield those things.

Xander laughed malevolently, and glared at Yuri with a grin. "This is very interesting indeed, Yuri. I see you've already acquired the power of the Onyx gem and merged it with your own considerable power. You might be use to me yet, Assassin of the Red Moon."

Yuri lowered his blade slightly, Snow's sword still threatening to cleave him in half. "Use to you? For what?"

Xander laughed quietly. "You'll see for yourself, Yuri. Rest assured, you will thoroughly enjoy the part I have for you to play now."

Yuri grinned. "Is that so? Well then, I guess I'll back down for now." He slowly retracted the blade into his armguard, and everyone else relaxed their guard. "Let's see what this 'part' you have for me is."

Snow lowered her sword, and squealed in delight, hugging Yuri tightly and smiling broadly at him. "Yay! New playmate!" She said happily.

Xander chuckled again and approached the reflective pool, where it still showed the party marching into the Northern Lands.

"Ryu the Dragon Prince…" Xander said, dipping his finger into the pool and causing a small ripple. He grinned broadly. "What you will see here, what you will discover here, will be the path that will lead you to me. When that time finally comes, Ryu, you will understand the truth of the Northern Void."


End file.
